| Author |
 Replies: 11 / Views: 1,365 |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3843 Posts |
With the Internet, collectors can find anything. Where's the fun in that? https://www.washingtonpost.com/post...6992cafd934cHello, I found the above article interesting so I thought I would post it here. It broadly focuses on the antiques and collectables industry in general but I think that many of the points may can easily apply to numismatics. I agree with the author that overall the internet has been a boon for collectors and that any negative effects such as the move away from brick and mortar stores/shows are far exceeded by the positive impacts of opening up the hobby to anyone with an internet connection, allowing the sharing of information, as well as creating the opportunity to specialize one's collection in ways that were not possible before. It is easier than ever to study the best examples out there and be inspired to further your own collection, however modest your means may be. The internet has also helped make the coin market much more efficient, cutting out the middlemen, and allowing coins to be directly offered to the end consumer and allowing the collector to directly sell his items to other collectors with much less effort. Your thoughts? |
|
|
|
Valued Member
United States
461 Posts |
That was a nice read. I agree with many of the points made
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
I am old school; I always like to see the coin in hand before deciding to buy, and then pay cash only.
Fortunately I have excellent face to face access to a number of dealers and two auction houses, all of excellent repution.
|
|
Moderator
 United States
189053 Posts |
The internet has changed everything, but you will not find me complaining about access to online forums, of course.  I am like Sel. I prefer to have the coin in hand before making a commitment. Other than annual purchases from the mint, I have still not bought a coin online. This may change out of necessity, but I will resist as long as I can. |
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
1888 Posts |
I agree with ALL of the op's points. I might also add that having been a very active online buyer/seller for the better part of sixteen years, I do believe not all the changes and opportunities have been positive. >>> There is far more fake stuff out there now, and plenty of bidders who do NOT do their homework, thus encouraging more fraud. It is impossible to police all if it. >>> The competition for better items has increased exponentially. Every prime item in my area of specialization is setting new price records. So much for the budget.  >>> The internet is making has made greed fashionable. Price pushing is proliferating. Even the junk peddlers fail to appreciate the concept of 'room'. I am a firm believer that a healthy market will determine 'true' value. I see items listed over and over and over again that would sell quickly at a FAIR price. Sellers that peddle outside their knowledge base by casting ridiculous lines hoping for a Big Fish just give the whole process a stink. [Thanks for bearing with me.] -msy |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
I'm the opposite. I have strolled into a few coin shops on a few occasions, and strolled right back out again when I saw rows upon rows of common, low grade US Classics for 2-5x the regular going rate on ebay. I'm also in the "under 30" collecting crowd (I look much younger since my wife convinced me to shave off my beard six years ago) so the shop owners generally seem irritated that I am even invading their space. Granted, it scares me to think about how much both ebay and USPS have profited from me buidling my collection, but I still feel that I have assembled twice the collection for a fraction of the cost thanks to online shopping. And as far as selling, a while ago my dad gave me a bunch of his old "junk", including a bunch of computer games. The real standout was a copy of DOOM on floppy. I saw similar auctions sell for $50+ so I put that one on ebay. It was apparently a rare patched version, because the final bid was a little over $305. No way I would get that kind of money from even a local collector of vintage video games. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Great article, thanks for the link.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
The Internet is great of comparisons. Coin pricing, coin collecting materials, etc. However, so far I've never found better prices and better graded coins than at a coin show. I think it's great to be able to look up a certain coin on the internet, but as I said, so far, never found one on the internet cheaper than a coin show. Even things like the Red Book I find cheaper at coin shows. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
8137 Posts |
Great article. I wrote an essay on this topic for the ANA literary award. |
|
CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
I was collecting pre-internet. I put together a set of Gem Proof Walkers and the 1936 took me 3 years to find. Now I have my pick of half a dozen of them in dealer inventories and current auctions. The accessibility of rarities has dramatically improved. Even an R6-R7 coin should not bring big money if there are only a few dozen collectors of it. Now, all of those collectors can find what they are looking for. It used to be that you'd need to work with dealers who worked with other dealers and travelled to find real rarities. Now, you don't need a network to find anything.
Dealers who never really added any value except to provide that network of communication have found themselves disintermediated from the business. Others that actually make a market in things, providing a ready source for bust dime varieties, copper varieties, patterns, etc are doing very well as they now have a national audience.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
330 Posts |
An hour ago I got a package from Switzerland. Bought a few Congo wooden coins and an acrylic one. The guy I bought them from was selling them for $11.40. I saw other sites online where I could've bought them for $15, 17.95 euro, or $39.99. On the other hand, the same person was selling some of those Palau pearl-embedded coins for nearly twice what you could get them for on ebay. I didn't buy any of those from him, obviously. I've also gotten a ton of good deals on ebay on obscure/low demand foreign coins that are much lower than at the coin shop I frequent, and I know the guy is good and honest about his prices. The internet increases availability dramatically, but you really have to know a) shop around for deals b) know what's good and what's junk -- which is another wonderful issue. There are lots of things that are available, but even when it is genuine a lot of it is not collector-worthy stuff. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Well said.  to the CCF! |
| |
Replies: 11 / Views: 1,365 |
|
Posted 08/23/2016 09:23 am
